Greening the Blue Report 2023

United Nations 2 years ago

The annual Greening the Blue Report – The UN system’s environmental footprint and efforts to reduce it shows the progress both at the UN system-wide level and entity level of implementing the Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability in the Area of Management (Sustainability Strategy I). The 2023 edition of the Greening the Blue Report, which provides 2022 data, was published on 21 December 2023. Commenting on the results from the report, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General noted, “The world must work together to address the triple planetary crisis of runaway climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.  We at the United Nations must do our part with advocacy and action.  I encourage all UN entities to set an example by greening the blue.” Sustainability Strategy I covers both environmental impact areas and management functions. Highlights of the Greening the Blue Report 2023’s UN system-wide 2022 data results include: Environmental Impact Areas Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) - the UN’s operations and facilities emitted 1.4 million tonnes of CO2eq in total or 4.6 tonnes CO2eq per capita. The UN system’s GHG emissions by source were 38% from air travel, 47% from facilities and 15% from other forms of travel Waste - the average waste generated for the whole UN system was 321 kg/person Water - the average water consumption by the UN system was 49 m3 per UN personnel per year Management Functions Environmental Governance – 7 UN entities have met or exceeded the criteria for implementing an Environmental Management System, with an additional 15 entities approaching the criteria Procurement* – 24 out of 29 organizations implemented formal sustainable procurement policies in their procurement processes Human Resources – 31 entities have environmental training available for their staff Greening the Blue Report 2023 highlights the environmental impacts of over 308,000 personnel in 57 entities across Headquarters, field offices and operations on the ground. The report also includes a case study from a UN entity on each of the environmental impact areas and management functions. To read the whole report and the detailed entity level data, please visit greeningtheblue.org. *Procurement data is taken from the 2022 Annual Statistical Report on United Nations Procurement. More information      Methodologies and data collection used, please visit greeningtheblue.org/methodology. Methodology related to travel emissions provided by the International Civil Aviation Organisation please visit the ICAO website. For climate neutrality, please visit the UNFCCC website. For more information, please contact: UN Environment Programme   E-mail: unepnewsdesk@unep.org
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 4 hours ago



Europe’s Low Carbon Building Initiative marks a decisive shift in sustainable construction, turning the spotlight from new developments to the decarbonisation of existing housing stock. As most residential buildings predate 2000, addressing embodied carbon through targeted retrofit and low carbon design will yield measurable emissions reductions across the sector. The initiative aligns with the principles of whole life carbon assessment, enabling transparent evaluation of the carbon footprint of construction across all phases—planning, materials, operations, and end-of-life reuse in construction.

The UK’s forthcoming Digital Waste Tracking framework reinforces circular economy in construction by making material flows, demolition waste, and construction offcuts traceable in real time. This move supports resource efficiency in construction and drives life cycle thinking in construction practices while underpinning the transition to a measurable circular economy. Such regulatory tools establish the foundation for sustainable building practices grounded in lifecycle assessment and environmental product declarations (EPDs).

Financial mechanisms are beginning to mirror these policy shifts. British International Investment’s £15 billion programme redirects funding toward renewable building materials and carbon neutral construction projects, accelerating decarbonising the built environment across coal-dependent regions. Domestically, Enviromena’s £825 million solar infrastructure investment strengthens green construction and net zero carbon buildings, placing energy-efficient buildings and sustainable building design at the core of national infrastructure.

These developments position environmental sustainability in construction within a framework that balances life cycle cost, embodied carbon in materials, and sustainable material specification. The integration of BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards ensures quantifiable building lifecycle performance, reinforcing sustainable design as an evidence-based discipline. As data integrity, finance, and regulation converge, low-impact construction and circular construction strategies are becoming embedded norms rather than experimental ambitions, supporting the transition towards net zero whole life carbon and a verifiable eco-design for buildings.

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